And That Made All The Difference
by hawkeyeforever
Summary: A companion fic to my other story, Maybe They Could. Harry's side of the story. He loved her. How could he not? She was everything he needed in life. Too bad there were so many obsticles in the way of happily ever after. T for safety. Harmony.


And That Made All the Difference

A/N: So this is a companion piece to my other Harmony story, Maybe They Could. I don't think it's really necessary to read that first, but it'd probably make more sense. This is Harry's side of the story.

He supposed it made sense in a bitter sort of way.

The hero falls for his best friend.

Not exactly a stretch from those romantic novels she loves to read.

Regardless of that though, he wished things would just go back to how they used to be. Things had been perfect when he had been blissfully unaware that he was falling more in love with her every day.

Now, everything was different.

Everything had changed.

Nobody realized this of course. If there was one thing he was good at, it was putting on a mask and lying through a fake smile. He was pretty sure that she saw through it though. It was exceedingly difficult to hide something from a girl famed for her intelligence. But he just waved it away with a slightly forced chuckle, and pretended not to notice the concern and confusion in her beautiful brown eyes.

He just wished he could forget, that he could turn back the clock and pretend nothing had changed.

But it was too late now.

Now it was impossible not to stare, not to notice the little things.

Like the way she bit her lip when she concentrated, or the way her eyes sparkled when she figured out the answer to something. It wasn't possible for him not to notice the way she smiled, and the way she said his name.

She was so beautiful, so breathtaking.

So forbidden.

She could never know how he felt. It would ruin the strongest friendship he had ever known, and he didn't think he could survive that kind of heartbreak. She was his best friend, nothing more, no matter how much he desired for her to be.

He would lie awake for hours in his bed, long after his roommates had succumbed to sleep, and think about her. In the silent stillness of the night it was so easy to imagine a world where they could be together.

A world where Hermione would love him back.

And maybe she could, even in this imperfect world, but he couldn't, wouldn't let it become anything. She was in enough danger for just being his muggle-born friend. If Voldemort ever found out what she meant to him, she would be in more danger than even himself. And he would never put her in danger. He would do his damnedest to get her through this war alive, regardless of personal risk.

She meant too much to him to lose.

So friends they would be.

He couldn't stop the looks he gave her though. It was too hard to turn away and pretend.

When he realized that Ginny had feelings for him, he wanted to reciprocate them. She would be far safer than Hermione would be, with her brothers to protect her. And he loved her, just not the way she deserved. She was a good person, and a wonderful girl, but she just wasn't Hermione.

And that made all the difference.

When he, Ron, and Hermione had gone on the run to search for the Horcruxes, it became infinitely harder to ignore his growing attraction for her. Living in such close proximity was maddening. If it wasn't for Ron's presence, he doubted he would have been able to not tell her.

But then Ron left.

It had left him bitter, and betrayed, and it was only Hermione that kept him from falling apart at the seams. It was during that time that he had realized that she loved him back. It had been a shock, seeing the emotion in her eyes, the one reflecting his own. He almost broke and told her then, but it wouldn't have been right.

If he had told her then, it would have seemed like it was out of desperation because they were alone and afraid and clinging to each other. And he almost wished that it was. He wished that it was some phase, some hormone borne crush that would go away with time. But it wasn't, and he knew that, even if it hurt.

After the war, it was harder to find reason. He spent most of his time with Ginny, trying to convince himself that she was the one he was supposed to be with. Hermione was with Ron now, and he lost his chance. He avoided them both, and eventually he started to avoid Ginny as well.

Oddly enough, it was Ginny who convinced him to tell Hermione about his feelings. She had cornered him one night, and demanded to know what was bothering him. He couldn't keep it a secret any longer. So he told Ginny everything, and to his shock, she understood.

It seems she was in love with someone else, that person being Draco Malfoy, to his surprise. She had fallen for him during the year he had been gone, but hadn't let it become anything, because she felt that it wouldn't be right to be with Draco while Harry was away.

So they let each other go, to be with the ones that they truly needed, the ones they truly loved.

So that was why he was standing outside of Hermione's room right now, mentally preparing for what he was about to do. It was all or nothing now, no turning back as he knocked on her door.

He knew it wasn't going to be easy. They had so much to overcome, so many people who would try to stop them, but he didn't care anymore.

He loved her, and he wasn't going to give up.

Love was the strongest thing in the world. After all, it was what had saved him.

He just hoped she would see this too.

A/N: So there's Harry's side. I hope you like this. It was a bit of a toss-up what to do about Ginny, but I decided that this would be the best way. No need to have two jealous Weasley's after all. Will Hermione decide to follow her heart? Review please.


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